Table of Contents

Re-installing IRLP on a Raspberry Pi

This article describes the steps required to re-install IRLP and Debian onto a
Raspberry Pi computer from an existing IRLP node.

If you would like a ready-built and configured system, consider ordering one
direct from IRLP at http://irlp.net/order.html they also have prefabricated
and all necessary parts to complete your PiRLP project.

Prerequisites and Disclaimer

First thing, back up your existing install using the “backup_for_reinstall”
script. It will create an irlp_backup.tgz file on a USB stick - More on this
later.

Second thing - This is experimental and not supported. If it breaks something,
the IRLP installs team can try to help, but we can not foresee all possible issues.
IRLP will try to help where I can, but can not promise it will all work. If you
are not able to troubleshoot the problem on your own, consider ordering a complete
built and configured PiRLP node from the IRLP website: http://irlp.net/order.html

If you are using a Pi2 or Pi B+ with a 40 pin header, you must cut pins 27 and 28 from the board in order to fit the GPIO cable on.
See: http://www.irlp.net/R_Pi/P2010014.JPG
It also shows pin 4 removed - this is not required. It is used as a key for systems ordered from IRLP.

Loading the Required Software

You will require the official Raspbian Jessie Lite release from the Raspberry Pi Foundation:
http://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads
(no support will be offered for this, besides what buttons to press) Follow the
directions on the RPi site for creating the SD card.

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT THE PI - Do not “hotplug” USB devices, as the unit tends to
reset without warning when USB devices are plugged in. So if you are going to
run an irlp-reinstall, I would suggest plugging your USB key with the backup
file in before you boot the PC.

Boot your Pi, and perform the following steps in the config:

expand_rootfs Expand root partition to fill SD card

change_pass Change password for 'pi' user

change_locale Set locale (as required)

change_timezone Set timezone

memory_split Change memory split (set to 16)

ssh Enable ssh server

boot_behaviour DO NOT BOOT INTO DESKTOP

Then click Finish.

On initial boot, log in using user pi, and the password set above. The pi user
is essentially a root user, and we want to create a root password, and carry on.
That makes this more like other IRLP nodes…

At the prompt, type:

sudo su -
passwd root (set a password)

Now in the future, you can log in as root, or you can also choose to remove the
pi user (optional):

userdel -r pi

Now we download the IRLP “get-irlp-files” script, which will carry us through
the rest of the install.

(This process will take several minutes (up to 20), as it basically strips the
default install of about 200 unneeded packages, and configures your Pi for the
packages it needs for IRLP to run). Lets be honest - the Pi is not the fastest
beast on the block…. so this process takes time.

Then progress with your install as usual. All of the commands are the same as a
normal node, and the installer automatically picks up the special binary files
for the ARM processor.

Your node should work at this point.

Upgrading the Pi Firmware

The last step we will do is update the firmware on your Pi. This will help keep
everyone on a “level” playing field, and will help instructions work for all
users. As part of the install, the rpi-update program is installed by default.